Merchant of Power

A timely rags-to-riches story, The Merchant of Power recounts how Sam Insull - right hand to Thomas Edison - went on to become one of the richest men in the world, co-founding General Electric and introducing the modern metropolis with his invention of the power grid, which fuels major cities today. John F. Wasik, recently awarded the National Press Club Award for Consumer Journalism, had unprecedented access to Sam Insull's archives, which include private correspondence with Thomas Edison. The extraordinary fall of a man, extraordinary for his time, is revealed in this cautionary tale about the excesses of corporate power.